Cuomo: People of Puerto Rico have been treated as second-class citizens

Parts of the island are still without power, months after Hurricane Maria

QUEENS — Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been highly critical of the federal response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, which ravaged the U.S. territory months ago.

Cuomo had harsh words for the federal government Saturday, as he embarked on his third trip to the island.

"The people of Puerto Rico have been treated as second-class citizens by this federal government. I resent it as a New Yorker. I resent it as an American. And the federal government should be ashamed of itself," says Cuomo.

On Dec. 2, the governor will check in on progress made and reaffirm New York's commitment to the island.

He says that 72 days later, a third of the island still does not have power, many homes lack clean water, and thousands are in shelters.

"If we're not careful and we're not diligent, then this will go down in the history books as an incident that changed the trajectory of the future of Puerto Rico," says Cuomo.

According to the governor, New York State deployed a dozen utility workers to Puerto Rico to help with restoration efforts.

In addition, the state has also sent more utility vehicles.

In total, the state has sent almost 500 people to help restore power, more than 300 vehicles, and hundreds of doctors and medical personnel since September.